Why Plymouth Argyle should try sign Ryan Hardie & Bolton Wanderers player in the first week of January | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle should target Wrexham's Ryan Hardie and Bolton Wanderers' Aaron Morley this winter.

Plymouth Argyle should look to make a quick double swoop for both out-of-favour Wrexham striker Ryan Hardie, and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Aaron Morley in the first week of January.

For the Green Army, the January transfer window can't come soon enough. Plenty of work is needed to be done on the squad, which currently sits towards the bottom of the League One table, after a disastrous start to the campaign.

With former manager turned Director of Football Derek Adams now at the forefront of recruitment operations, the Scot will be keen to add some real quality to Tom Cleverley's arsenal, to help ensure the Pilgrims avoid back-to-back relegations.

Adams revealed at a fans' forum in late November that the club still has cash to splash in the winter transfer window, and will now try to spend it to right the wrongs of the first half of the season.

Whilst more than two signings are required to make a difference, Football League World selected two players who Plymouth should prioritise signing in the first week of the January transfer window.

Striker - Wrexham AFC

The hardest goodbye in the summer for the Green Army was the departure of their beloved number nine, Hardie, who left the club after five-and-a-half years, joining newly-promoted Wrexham for a reported fee of around £700k.

Fast-forward six months, and the Scot can't get a game at the Racecourse Ground, with players such as Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, and Josh Windass preventing the striker from getting valuable game time.

Football League World then exclusively revealed in late November that Hardie was weighing up a swift exit from Wrexham due to a lack of minutes, with Championship duo Hull City and Blackburn Rovers eyeing up a January swoop.

Of course, this news caught the eyes of Plymouth supporters, who would be overjoyed by the return of the popular forward. Adams also refused to rule out a deal to bring him back to Home Park at the fans' forum, although admitting it would take lots of pieces to fall into place.

Adding the striker next to the prolific Lorent Tolaj is a no-brainer, as the Swiss forward has been the only player able to find the net for Argyle, and giving him a strike partner of Hardie's calibre would bring a whole new outlet to that attack.

During his previous spell at Plymouth, the 28-year-old was notorious for his exceptional forward runs, opening up new avenues to goal, which is something the team currently lacks, given how one-dimensional their current style of play is.

Having Tolaj to do the hold-up work and a workhorse in Hardie playing off him could be lethal in League One, bringing the best out of both players and helping the Pilgrims overcome their goalscoring troubles by being more fluid in the final third.

The Scotsman would also be more than capable of leading the line on his own should Tolaj be unavailable for selection, which is a concern over current back-up forwards Owen Oseni and Bim Pepple.

Now, this may be somewhat of a left-field shout, and Argyle fans may not necessarily be over the moon with the idea of signing Bolton midfielder Morley, but having watched over his loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers last season, he is exactly what the midfield is screaming out for.

The 25-year-old has been with the Trotters since 2022, but slowly fell out of favour under former manager Ian Evatt. This saw him sent on loan to the Chairboys in the summer of 2024, and swiftly recalled the following January after excelling in South Buckinghamshire.

Since then, minutes have once again diminished at Bolton, with former Argyle boss Steven Schumacher not favouring Morley, which means he could well be available for a move away from the Toughsheet Community Stadium this winter.

With that in mind, Plymouth should pounce quickly to try and secure the services of the former Rochdale star, as he would bring a whole new dimension to Cleverley's midfield with his excellent passing range, versatility, and defensive cover.

Firstly, Morley is well-versed in multiple different roles across the midfield. Whether it be as a number six, eight, or ten, the Bolton man is comfortable playing anywhere in the engine room, which is helpful should another injury crisis arise.

Morley is a fantastic progresser of the ball from deep, stopping attacks at the source and looking to get his team on the front foot with his exceptional passing range. His ability to play a defence-splitting ball is second to none, and with Tolaj his target, this could cause chaos.

The 25-year-old would compliment what Argyle have already got very nicely too, with him being the more attacking option in the midfield next to Malachi Boateng, and offering something similar to what Bradley Ibrahim does as a deep playmaker.

With his relatively young age too, Morley will only go up in value and continue to develop. Should he become available in the winter, this type of transfer seems like a no-brainer for Plymouth.